Silver Wings of Freedom
by Rounin
Summary: A spin-off to Kitfoxpup's story, Midnight! Unknowingly, Shinra turns Zack into their enemy and now its army is the obstacle standing in his path towards seeing his family again. Please read and review!
1. Chapter 1

With Kitfoxpup's permission, I've decided to write this fic after reading her story, Midnight. **If you have not read Midnight, do so before you read this story! **She had vaguely mentioned the death of Sora's father and so I wanted to write a side-story on how he had passed away. From my summary, you all know who the father is and it's sort of set in the world of Crisis Core...except the Nibelheim incident never happened so there's no comatose Cloud and crazy Sephiroth in this setting lol!

Frankly, I have never played Kingdom Hearts, but rather, I've only watched others play it so I have only basic information regarding their personalities and such (I've had to refer to Kit's story for detailed stuff) so I apologize if any of the Kingdom Hearts characters seem a little OOC.

Originally, I had planned this to be a one-shot, but then my imagination spun off and now I ended up writing more than one chapter. For now, I will only be posting the first chapter, but stay tuned for future updates! :D

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Final Fantasy VII and Kingdom Hearts

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Silver Wings of Freedom **_

The night was silent save for the chirping of several crickets nearby and the crackling of fire, illuminating the small cave a man was currently sheltered in. He sported the colors of SOLDIER which matched his black, raven-like hair…

Only, he was no longer affiliated with SOLDIER…

Zack Fair was now considered a threat to Shinra, the company in Midgar he had used to work under. He couldn't believe that in one fell swoop, his life had turned upside down. The friends he had used to work with, fight with, eat and joke around with, were all now after his head. It was amazing at how much influence the company had on its staff members. Well, it was no surprise to Zack since the President had all the money in the Planet to easily turn friends against each other.

Clenching his fists, he thought about how his service under the company had caused so much suffering. In the past, he thought he was serving for the better, but 'better' had meant good for the company, not for its people. Zack hated himself for believing the President's lies and deceitful ways to presumably, 'make life better' for the people in Midgar and around the Planet.

He unclenched his hands and sighed, picking up another stick from the pile he had gathered today during his run. Tossing it carelessly into the small bonfire he had created, he gazed at the flames, thinking about today's events…

Today, his life was almost forfeit when the motorcycle he had stolen from the Shinra army had run out of gas. Thankfully, he had managed to find this place while running away from gunfire and was now hiding safely; a tall rock hid the entrance from view and the infantrymen weren't going to be keen enough to look behind it and find the cave. In the darkness of the cave, he waited until the commotion outside had died down before going out and gathering wood for a fire.

Zack continued to watch the flames lick at the wood as his thoughts started to revert back to the days before he left on his mission-the one that had gotten him into this mess in the first place…

The days he would spend with his beloved family…

He and Aerith had met at the age of 17 when she had found him lying unconscious among her flowers in the abandoned church in Sector 5. Despite a first, awkward meeting, it was love at first sight and the two gradually fell in love. They dated for at least eight years, finally marrying at the age of 25 and later, having three sons: Cloud, Leon, and Sora. Sora was the youngest out of the three and Leon was the oldest, leaving Cloud in the middle. Although Cloud and Leon possessed great strength-which they had inherited from him-they were both the humble type and usually did not do anything rash without thinking it through logically.

Zack smiled, figuring the two had gotten that from their mother. After all, Aerith was the peaceful type and she hated fighting under any circumstance.

Then there was Sora, the hyperactive one. Zack and Aerith knew for sure knew that their son had gotten the constant energy trait from his father. The young boy would always be running around, swinging his wooden sword around, which Zack had gotten for him for his 6th birthday. Aerith would tell Zack that watching Sora reminded her of Zack back in the day and the thought of them in each others arms and watching their children grow up brought tears to Zack's eyes. Shinra was the reason he couldn't immediately return to his family and he had no means of sending a return letter to Aerith, who had sent him a letter a few months ago.

Digging into his left pocket, he produced his wife's letter and opened it up, re-reading what she had written…

_Zack,_

_It's funny how you said the job would be a cinch and here I am, writing you this letter two years later. I had no idea that a job could take two years to complete, but then again, it's Shinra so I wouldn't expect it otherwise. _

_I hope you're doing well and working hard at your job. The boys and I miss you here in Midgar, especially Sora. The poor thing's been crying and he hasn't been playing with the wooden sword you gave him. I've calmed him down a bit though so don't worry. I know with all my heart you'll return real soon and I've told Sora that as well. He's feeling better knowing that you're out there, safe and sound and working hard. At school, he drew a picture of you and showed me so I've decided to include it with this letter…_

Zack stopped reading for a moment and unfolded a second piece of paper, revealing a drawing of him that Sora drew. Tears sprang back in his eyes as his gloved hand traced the crayon markings of his son's drawing. The lines represented his body and the circle with the triangles on top were his hair; a stick figure drawing of him. He sniffed and wiped tears away as he wondered if he would see his family again. Folding the paper, he returned to reading Aerith's letter.

_You would've laughed if you saw Cloud and Leon right now. They act like everything's normal and then when they retreat into their rooms, they start crying. See how much the boys miss you? So you better come home soon!_

Through his tears, Zack chuckled at the thought of his two older boys blubbering like babies in their rooms.

_I pray you're safe and not getting attacked by monsters. Monster attacks have increased in Midgar since you've left and Shinra's been telling everyone to stay indoors. Don't worry though, Lucine's husband, Kunsel has been escorting me and my family around and the army has been dispatched to take care of the creatures. _

Kunsel, a good friend of his, was a 2nd Class SOLDIER and husband of Lucine. They had a son named Roxas, who was good friends with his boys, but mainly Sora. He remembered the days when they would all go to the park together and just have a picnic. Him and Kunsel working on grilling the hot dogs while Aerith and Lucine talked and watched the children play.

While Zack was dispatched on his mission, he received the terrible news that Kunsel had died in an accident at Fort Condor; the Mako Reactor had malfunctioned, resulting in a sudden explosion and the SOLDIER-along with other staff members-was caught in the radius of its blast.

Lucine had changed since her husband's passing. She started resorting to alcohol to take her depressions away and the liquor would make her hysterical and abusive towards Roxas. Aerith had lovingly welcomed the boy in the family and ever since then, Roxas had considered them his second family.

And speaking of Roxas…

_Roxas has been staying over for about a week now. Lucine has been drinking again and so he decided to go and stay with us for a while until his mother calms down. He and Sora are such a handful when taking care of them together! _

_Write back when you can! We'd all love to hear from you! _

_I love you, honey!_

_-Aerith_

Folding the letter, Zack took the two pieces of paper and gently kissed them before returning it to his pocket. Mentally, he promised that he would live through this to see them again. Looking around, he spotted the Buster Sword, leaning against the rocky walls of the cave. The mighty sword had represented all his honor and dreams. He watched the reflection of the flames on the sleek metal of its blade.

"Angeal…what do I do from here? I just…want to see my family again…"

As he continued to look at the sword, he felt drowsy. "Aerith…please, hold on…" he trailed off as his eyes drooped and soon, he was in peaceful slumber.

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**There's more to come! Zack just went to sleep and he'll be awake again the next chapter! XD**

Anywho, thanks for reading and please drop by a review! :)**  
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	2. Chapter 2

So, here's the second chapter to Silver Wings of Freedom! Thank you to Kitfoxpup for reviewing my story! It would really make my day if more reviews were written for this story! :)

Now without further ado, here's the second installment to SWoF! Enjoy! :)

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core and Kingdom Hearts

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"I'll see you later, Mom."

"Ok. Be careful, you two! Don't speed in the streets!"

"Don't worry. Behave yourself, squirt! Don't give Mom any trouble or else!"

"I won't, Cloud! And don't call me squirt!"

The sound of the door closing was heard as Aerith stood by the window, watching Cloud and Leon back their motorcycles out of the driveway. Outside, the sun was slowly setting, giving the sky a crimson-orange color which was mixing in with the haze caused by the pollution from the Mako Reactors in the city.

She heard the engines start and in mere seconds, the boys were off. Sora joined his mother by the window, giving the hem of Aerith's floral skirt a small tug to get her attention.

"Mom, where are Cloud and Leon headed to?"

"Your brothers are going to the Shinra company to take care of something." Aerith answered him in a monotone-like voice, keeping her distant gaze outside the window.

Immediately, Sora understood what that 'something' was. His brothers were going to inquire about Dad again. The last two weeks of Cloud and Leon going to and from the company to ask about their father ended up fruitless. Every time they went, the answer was always the same-the information regarding Zack Fair's mission was classified as confidential. They even went to lengths to hire a lawyer to see if there was some sort of statement in Shinra's privacy contracts regarding this issue and the case went to court; but, Shinra had won saying that Zack had signed a contract regarding confidentiality of ALL of his services towards Shinra. Not even family members are allowed to know where and what the staff is doing in the company.

Sora hated to see his mother in this state. She would have terrible mood swings-one minute, she would be cheerful and then the next, he would see her sitting by the window, sobbing. At times, her mind would drift off and she would either sit or stand for several minutes, staring at something with the same, sorrowful expression on her face. It pained the brothers to see their mother like so, but they understood that Dad's prolonged absence was the cause of this. To make matters worst, their father hadn't written back at all and she had sent a letter to him two years ago. The whole family had no idea where Zack Fair was and if he was doing ok.

Without a word, Sora hoisted himself up on the couch nearby and sat on the armrest, comforting his mother with a hug. "It's ok, Mom. Dad will be home soon." At that moment, Aerith burst into tears, returning the hug and kissing her son on the forehead.

"Thank you, Sora. You...Cloud...Leon...you're all such good boys. Thank you." Sora gently broke the hug and took his mother's hand, hopping down the armrest to guide her to the couch. Once seated, Sora laid his head on her shoulder, this time taking both of her hands. Aerith smiled, giving his tiny hands a small squeeze. It was these moments where Sora had reminded her so much of Zack. Taking a tissue from the table nearby, she wiped her tear-swollen eyes and then proceeded to wrap her son in a loving embrace.

This had also brought tears to Sora's eyes as he thought of his father.

_"Dad...really, where are you? Please come home soon..."

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_

Zack's eyes snapped open as he felt the floor beneath him jerk. With a big yawn, he stretched, feeling all his tense muscles loosen. The truck continued to roll on the rocky grounds of the hills towards Midgar and he heard some kind of country music being blasted from the driver's seat. Shifting into a more comfortable seating position, Zack looked out at the wastelands beyond, watching as a vulture, some distance away, had landed on an animal's corpse to eat. Feeling parched, he took out his canteen and drank deeply, savoring the freshness of the water.

"So, yer finally awake, kid." said the truck driver in a humorous tone, adjusting the knob of the radio to lower the volume. "Yer snorin' was startin to git on my nerves so I blasted some music!"

Zack gulped the water in his mouth and closed the canteen, wiping his mouth with the back of his gloved hand. "Sorry, pops. Been out there all morning so I'm spent!"

"Yeah, you looked like it this mornin' when I saw you at that cafe in Kalm."

Earlier that day, Zack had left the cave he was hiding in and after checking to make sure no Shinra-affiliated members were patrolling the area, he started off on foot, ending up at the quiet town of Kalm by noon. Knowing the Shinra would be there for sure (there was a Mako Reactor facility there after all), Zack used his Shinra keycard to sneak into the emergency pathway of the Mako Reactor.

After successfully getting in through the Mako Reactor's back entrance disguised as a 3rd Class SOLDIER, he wandered around town, avoiding places where two or more Shinra personnel were stationed. At the Cafe, he and the man met, and after Zack told him his story (leaving out the parts where Shinra was involved), he offered him a lift to Midgar.

Now, he was sitting at the back of this man's truck and enjoying the breeze, knowing he would soon see his family...

"You know, pops?" he started, looking up at the crimson-orange sky above. "I was wondering what I should do for a living..."

"All I got ter that is yer young and when yer young, you try everythin' you can. You got that, kid?"

Zack's eyes lit up and he pounded his fist into his hand. "I know what I'll do! I'll become a mercenary!"

"You weren't listenin' to what I was sayin', kid!" the truck driver exclaimed. The vehicle hit another bump on the road.

"Eh...they may give me shitty jobs, but as long as the pay's good, I'll take them!" Zack contemplated, grinning at his bright idea. Standing up, he did a squat and then walked over to the back window of the truck, poking his head in.

"Thanks for the advice, pops!"

"Kid, yer throwin' yer life away, just like that? What's wrong with you youngsters these days? All every..."

Zack had stuck his head out and closed the window, leaving the man to his ranting. Taking in another breath of fresh air, he leaned against the edge of the roof of the truck. Today was a good day for him indeed.

He was going to see his family soon...

Already, he had thought up of a second job...

Life couldn't get any...

Zack rapidly spun around, unlatching the Buster Sword and holding the flat of the blade out in front of him, repelling the stray bullet that was meant for him.

"Damn it! They're back!" he said fiercely, gripping the hilt of his sword tightly with both hands. A few meters behind the moving truck was a Shinra chopper hovering at low altitude. One of the side doors were open, revealing a Shinra infantryman with a sniper rifle, already taking aim for a second shot. At seeing this, Zack raised his blade and took a defensive stance.

The window behind him opened. "Hey, kid! What on Gaia's goin' on over there? How come there's a Shinra chopper followin' me an' why are they shootin' at you?"

"Don't worry about it, pops!" Zack called back. "I got this!" As anticipated, another shot was fired and the bullet ricocheted off of the Buster Sword.

"You better not be in trouble with Shinra!" the truck driver yelled, trying hard to concentrate on his driving. "I get in trouble with that lot every time I come to Midgar an' I don't need anymore of them on my back!"

The Ex-SOLDIER watched with trepidation as the infantryman on the chopper withdrew only to appear again with a machine gun this time. Quickly, he latched his sword on his back and turned around, squatting and poking his head inside once more, ignoring the sound of the constant clanking as bullets hit the sword.

"Listen, I'm sorry for getting you into this mess, pops. You can drop me off after that last bend over there and I can walk from there after I take care of those idiots behind us."

"Ok, but don't let them shoot my tires down." the man said, sweat now pouring down his face. "I just got those wheels replaced after Shinra slashed them last week to apparently 'teach me a lesson'."

Zack's blood boiled. Shinra was going as low as targeting innocent citizens such as this man. They were going to pay tenfold for all the suffering they've caused. Despite his internal rage, he kept a calm face. "Don't worry, pops. I'll cover you while you drive and I won't let them get near any part of your truck. I hold my promise to that and consider it as me repaying you for giving me a lift this far."

"Alright, kid. I dunno what beef you got with the Shinra, but I pray to the gods that you git back to yer family safely."

Zack smiled. "Thanks for everything, pops and you stay safe as well." With those words, he poked his head out and closed the window. The rain of bullets had stopped and he turned to see infantryman now hoisting a rocket launcher.

"Oh shit." he cursed, unlatching his sword. "A rocket launcher is a bit overboard, don't you think?" The rocket was fired and as it was heading towards the truck, Zack lifted a hand and cast Hell Firaga. The three fireballs came into contact with the rocket mid-air, causing smoke to waft into the air and obscure the view of the pilot manning the chopper. It was enough time as the truck screeched to a halt, allowing Zack to jump off. He slammed his hand on the truck's metal body, letting the man know that he was off. Kicking up dirt, the six-wheeled truck sped off as Zack quickly hid behind a giant rock nearby.

"Surrender now and we may spare your life!" he heard a voice sounding like it came from a megaphone.

This was it...the end of the line for Zack. The army had caught up with him and he wasn't certain he would survive this one. Gazing to his right, he could see Shinra's tower off in the distance. Home was so close and yet, he was far from reaching it.

Closing his eyes, he felt another breeze rush past him.

_"Angeal...help me through this...somehow..." _Opening them again, he steeled himself and walked forwards until the army was within sight.

Zack was surprised that the head of the Midgar Security Department would go as far as to send a whole army against one man. He came to a stop a few meters away from the soldiers who were now training their guns on him, the clicking sound coming from the guns echoing throughout the canyon, slightly raising the hairs on the nape of his neck; but, the Ex-SOLDIER stood strong, unwilling to show any hint of fear to his enemies before him.

"Boy oh boy." he said, shaking his head. "The price of freedom is steep."

Slowly with his right hand, he took hold of the hilt of the Buster Sword hanging on his back and gripping it tightly, detached it from its magnet clip on his uniform, bringing the weapon slowly in front of him. With a slight grunt, he quickly brought the massive sword in front of him and placed his forehead on the flat of the blade, feeling the cold metal cooling his skin.

Closing his eyes, he pictured his sons and Roxas training together...

His wife, Aerith, sitting in their backyard, tending to the flowers...

And he pictured himself right there, holding Aerith in his arms as she watered the plants and watching the boys go at each other with their wooden weapons...

Tears were ready to stream down his closed eyes as he opened them, looking at his reflection on the sword. "Embrace your dreams and, whatever happens..."

Slowly, he lowered his weapon and looked at the army before him. "Protect your honor..." Whipping the sword back, he charged towards them, tears now falling and glinting against the sunlight.

"...as SOLDIER!" he cried out. "Come and get it!"

The Buster Sword swung and gunshots were fired...

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Thanks for reading and please review! To be continued! :D


	3. Chapter 3

After two and a half days of trying to make this chapter as perfect as possible, I finally present to you the third chapter of Silver Wings of Freedom! Once again, thank you to kitfoxpup for reviewing this story! Some more would be nice :)

Before I get on with the story, let me remind you that it is advisable to read Kit's story, Midnight, first before reading this story. This is the spin-off to her story so if you don't read that first, this story will be a bit confusing for you.

Now, without further rambling and such, here is the next chapter! Enjoy! :)

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Final Fantasy VII and Kingdom Hearts

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Zack fell on one knee, breathing heavily. A small pool of blood began to form on the ground as blood flowed freely from his numerous bullet wounds and deep gashes. The black uniform that he had once proudly worn was now tattered and stained with his blood and the blood of the infantrymen he had killed. The Shinra army was now reduced to ten soldiers: two captains and 8 infantrymen. Above them, hovering several meters away, was the last of the Shinra helicopters-Zack had taken the other two down with one Ultima spell. Bodies of the rest of the army lay dead around the vicinity, their puddles of blood blotching the parched earth. Broken swords, shattered helmets, and jammed rifles were strewn among the dead bodies as well. Those too afraid to face Zack had ran off or were killed on the spot by their comrades for failing to comply with orders...

The two captains made a hand signal to their troops and the group ran towards Zack, aiming their rifles and opening fire. Weakly, Zack put up the Buster Sword in a defensive stance, but it wasn't enough to avoid all the bullets. Several made their mark and he cried out, falling to the ground, his sword ringing dully as it hit the ground beside him. Painfully, he moved his hand towards the sword, wrapping his fingers around its blood-coated hilt. As he struggled to rise, he noticed his opponents moving away from him and heard a fusing sound coming from the Shinra chopper above...

Cursing inwardly, he forced himself to roll away as a missile came crashing down in front of him and exploding. Despite Zack's attempt to get away from the blast, he was still caught within its radius. More blood spilled and new wounds opened as his battered body hit a rock and fell to the ground once more. Moments passed for Zack as his senses tried to recover from the effects of the explosion. All he could see right now was white light and his ears were ringing so loudly, it was giving him a headache...

_"Zack..." _a faint, female's voice echoed amidst the ringing. Puzzled, Zack's inner eyes looked around, but saw nothing...

The voice called out to him again and this time, he felt a pair of arms wrapping lovingly around his torso. He looked down at the arms embracing him and noticed a silver, diamond ring on the ring finger of her right hand.

_"Aerith?" _he gasped, realizing that it was the engagement ring he had given to her three years ago when he had proposed to her. Not believing that his wife was behind him, he lifted his hands and placed them over hers. It wasn't a ghost...he was really touching flesh and the warmth she was giving off from her body as she tightened her embrace felt welcoming...this had to be real enough. Relaxing, he took her hands into his, giving them a light squeeze.

_"Zack..." _she said a third time and the white light disappeared, bringing him back to reality. He remained lying on the ground, looking up at the dull, orange sky. Grayish clouds were starting to roll in and the air felt colder than usual. He wondered if it an omen of some sort.

His thoughts went back to Aerith as he watched the clouds roll by. Those arms really did feel real...and when she wrapped them around him, her presence washed all of his pain and suffering away. It almost felt like the Planet itself had given him strength. He knew his wife was a half-Cetra and only she had the power to speak with the Planet. Did that mean...?

"Aerith..." he whispered, realizing what his wife just did, and it brought tears to his eyes. Hearing the quick plodding of boots as the soldiers charged towards him while clicking their rifles at the ready, he rose, his watery eyes narrowing on the enemies. Running towards them, he pulled the mighty Buster Sword from the ground and spun it with one hand as he charged into his enemy. His onslaught took down five infantrymen and one of the captains, reducing their numbers.

"Fire fire fire!" the captain yelled angrily at the four infantrymen as he let loose his bullets as well. Zack turned, pulling up his sword in defense and repelling the bullets. As he tore through, the soldiers opened fire on him, Tears were now flowing freely down his cheeks, mingling with the dirt and blood.

"Damn you all!" he cried, raising the sword and bringing it down in a horizontal slash. "Blast Wave!" One more infantryman fell to the attack, leaving two infantrymen and the captain standing.

The sound of gunfire cut through the silence. Spending the last of his energy reserves, Zack was now too weak to lift his sword and the bullets hit their mark, painting the already-reddened ground with more of his blood. Exhaustion and blood loss were starting to take its toll on his body and he fell on one knee once more, his grip loosening on the Buster Sword's hilt. His breaths were becoming ragged and his throat felt really dry. Dust whirled around as the winds picked up a little and it caused him to cough, spitting out some blood in the process.

Seeing that their attacks had weakened the target, the captain nodded to the two infantrymen behind him and the three walked towards Zack, their rifles at the ready. The pilot flying the Shinra chopper realized that the aircraft had run out of missiles. Picking up the radio, he turned a knob.

"Captain, Aircraft 02 is out of ammo."

Hearing this, the captain down on the ground below picked up his radio. "Very well. Return to base. Don't worry, we got this."

"Roger that. Aircraft 02 returning to base, over." Granted permission to return to HQ, the chopper flew forwards, gaining altitude as its speed increased, kicking up the dust from the ground below. Zack's eyes stung as the flying sandy grains entered his eyes. Grunting in pain, he clenched his hands and lifted the sword off of the ground. Blinking his eyes several times to try and get rid of the offending dust, he readied into a battle stance, eying the three Shinra soldiers carefully. Steadying his breathing, he gritted his teeth and steeled himself, ignoring the pains that were shooting throughout his weary body.

The captain motioned for the two infantrymen to scatter and fire at will. Zack looked at each one of them, limping forwards. Slowly, his body was starting to fail due to blood loss-walking was proving to be an arduous task for him.

Then, without warning, a flurry of bullets hit his body and he staggered backwards, his vision hazing. But despite this, the Ex-SOLDIER carried on, attempting to swing the sword he could no longer hold up. The infantryman in front of him jumped to the side easily as the massive weapon came down. He fired another round on Zack's body and blood spilled once more. As Zack was getting barraged with bullets, his mind had momentarily shut off from the real world and all he saw were a swarm of memories...

_"Daddy! I did it! I made slice on stick!" A five-year old Sora yelled, clumsily running into his arms..._

_"For a 1st Class SOLDIER, you're pretty forgetful, Dad!" Leon chuckled, handing him his Shinra belt and Materia..._

_"Hey, Dad? What's it like to be in SOLDIER?" Cloud asked as he inspected his Buster Sword in complete fascination. "Mom told me that it's full of weird people like you...hahahaha!"..._

He snapped back into reality, but his vision was still hazing, making it difficult for him to attack. Trying again, he limped towards the captain, swinging the Buster Sword in a futile attempt. The captain merely dodged it and another round was fired...

Again, more memories flooded into his mind...

_"Daddy, can you tell me one of your cool bedtime stories?" Sora asked excitedly, tucking himself into the bed...  
_

_"Hey Dad. Cloud and I are having a sparring match right now. Would you mind being the referee?" Leon asked, shouldering his gunblade..._

_"Thanks for Fenrir, Dad!" Cloud exclaimed, cleaning the new motorcycle with a cloth..._

Then...he noticed a tinge of pink off in the distance...

_"Welcome home, honey!" _

Back to reality again, Zack had lost most of his strength-he could barely stand up at this point. The three Shinra soldiers standing a few meters away from him were a slight blur to him and the ringing in his ears had returned.

Seeing their target immobilized, the captain turned his head and nodded to his two comrades. They clicked their rifles in unison and opened fire. Zack could no longer withstand the bullets, crying out in agony as he fell to the ground with a heavy thud.

The rain of bullets ceased and silence followed. Numbed from the pain, Zack could only look up at the overcast sky, not knowing that one of the infantrymen was approaching him. Seconds seemed like ages as he wondered if his enemies had assumed he was dead until he saw the said infantryman standing before him, readying his rifle for the final shot.

As he prepared his gun, the infantryman looked down at Zack and felt a tinge of guilt hit him. Back in the days, Zack had been a good mentor to him and had it not been for his determination to help him in his missions, he would've been back home with his mother and father. He used to emanate Zack, committing to doing at least 500 squats everyday; but, when Director Lazard had gone missing from Shinra, 1st Class SOLDIERs began to go MIA as well, including Zack. Thinking that his mentor had deserted Shinra, he lost respect for the man...but he never dreamed of this day.

He was about to kill the very person who had helped him rise the ranks in the Shinra army...

Zack gazed at the helmet of the infantryman and noticed a familiar dent on the left side, immediately identifying the person who was standing before him. This was the lowly cadet he had met back when he was still a 2nd Class SOLDIER. This cadet had a number of failed missions on his record and he had offered to help him with his missions after overhearing the commander of the Shinra army addressing him in the Briefing Room one day. Six missions later that year, the cadet had successfully completed a mission with his own platoon and was promoted to Support Infantryman in the army. Ever since then, he had risen in the ranks, making it to Front-line Infantryman in less than two years.

He never thought that the very person he had helped over a year ago would be the one to finish him off...

The infantryman aimed his rifle at the Ex-SOLDIER's head, his hands wavering slightly. Taking one last glance at his mentor, he looked away and pulled the trigger...

Blood red was all Zack saw, but then a certain memory vividly entered his mind, despite the bullet that was now lodged in his brain...

_"Zack...remember the 23 tiny wishes I wrote for you long ago?"_

_"Yeah, of course I do, Aerith!"_

_"Well...I was wondering...could we...add one more wish to it? A tiny request."_

_"Hahaha! You and your wishes, Aerith! But of course we can!"_

_"Promise me...promise me...you'll..."_

"...return home safe..." Zack whispered as the rain started to fall, mingling with tears and blood. Having achieved their goal of eliminating the 'threat', the three soldiers walked away from Zack and were out of sight.

As the rain began to fall into a downpour, Zack was starting to feel very exhausted and it was starting to get difficult to breathe. Despite the pain, he chuckled softly at his predicament...unless some miracle happened right now, he knew he wasn't going to get out of this one. This was indeed his final battle and his last stand against Shinra's evil deeds

Accepting his fate, his thoughts went back to Aerith's 24th wish-he may not have fulfilled it, but at least he had fulfilled his duty as a true SOLDIER. His only regret was that he didn't get to see his wife and kids one last time...

"I'm sorry...Aerith...please take care of...yourself...and the boys..."

With a small smile, he breathed his last breath and slowly closed his sky-blue eyes, never to open them again...

_"And...would you tell Sora that his Daddy became a hero like the man in his bedtime stories?"_

_

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_**This is not the end of the story! **_

There is still about two chapters left so stay tuned!

To be continued :)


	4. Chapter 4

It really has been awhile since I've last updated this story and my writing skills are a little rusty so if it sounds too much like a script or just doesn't flow right, let me know through a review. If this is the case, I'd really appreciate it if someone could let me know so I can improve my writing. With that said, I'll end this by saying that I hope you enjoy reading this and that it somewhat makes up for the very long wait. I will have another update soon :)

**Disclaimer: **Crisis Core belongs to Square Enix and yadda yadda yadda...you get the drill

* * *

Sora's eyes slowly opened to the sunlight that was beaming from the window across from him. Sitting up and rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he looked over at the bed adjacent from his to see his best friend, Roxas, still fast asleep.

"Wow, even an earthquake won't wake this guy up." Sora chuckled, slightly grimacing as his friend let out a rather loud snore. Pushing his covers aside, Sora stood up to loosen his muscles with a big stretch before heading to the door to go outside. Just before his hand was about to turn the doorknob, he heard a high-pitched scream coming from downstairs.

_"That sounded like Mom. What's going on?"_ he thought worriedly, quickly opening the door and running towards the balcony. Keeping himself partially hidden behind a wall, he crouched down, peering between the wooden bars of the railing with curiosity at the scene below...

"We're not lying." a Turk by the name of Rude said, adjusting his shades. "Zack Fair has been killed in a battle against one of those monsters roaming around outside of Midgar."

Aerith was sitting on the floor of the living room, sobbing hysterically. "I don't believe a word of this! I know that Shinra is hiding something from us!" Leon and Cloud were both kneeling on either side of her, trying their best to calm her down.

A red-haired Turk named Reno snorted, crouching down to her eye-level. "Lady, if you don't want to believe us that's-". Further words were cut off by Aerith's palm as she hit him with a resounding slap. _  
_

"Don't you 'lady' me! You scumbags are hiding something, I know it! You better tell me the truth or so Shiva help me-" Quickly, Leon and Cloud grabbed her arms before she could land any more slaps on the Turk.

"Please, calm yourself, Mom!" Cloud exclaimed, trying his best to be gentle with his mother as she continued to struggle to try and hit the insulting Turk. "This isn't like you! I know it's hard to accept this news about Dad, but please, compose yourself."

Realizing this, Aerith stopped her struggling, turning and burying her face into Cloud's shoulder to shed more tears. He let go of her arm, embracing her instead.

"It's ok, Mom. We understand..."

"Reno, Rude. That's enough." another male's voice interceded. Leon stood up, clenching his fists. He was going to pummel the next Turk who disrespected his mother or father. However, when he saw it was the leader of the Turks, Tseng, he relaxed.

"I will speak with Aerith. You two are to stay guard outside. Alert me and the other Turks at the chopper immediately if you see Hojo, SOLDIERs, or any of the Shinra Army Captains." Tseng ordered the two Turks.

Reno stood up with a grin, whipping out his EMT and turning up the weapon's electrical charge until a crackling sound could be heard by everyone in the room. "Heh. Glad you said that because consoling people just isn't my style."

Without a word, Rude pushed his partner outside, causing the red-head to trip across the porch and down the small steps, landing face-first on the dampened grass. With a mud-streaked face, Reno angrily got to his feet, pointing his weapon at the taller man.

"What the hell was that for?!"

"You stand guard there." Rude said, pulling his black leather gloves taut as he walked along the porch and took a seat on one of the rocking chairs. "I'll guard here."

Tseng ignored the scene his men were causing and closed the door behind him, turning to face Aerith, Cloud, and Leon. "It will tend to get noisy with my men yelling about like that and this is a matter that must be addressed."

Aerith wiped her swollen eyes with a small handkerchief . "So there is something more to this."

"Yes, there is." he replied. "But here is not a good place to talk about this, especially since you said that some Shinra military personnel visited yesterday to inform you about your husband. So whenever you are ready, we should probably talk someplace more quieter."

"The guest bedroom upstairs will do." she said, standing up. "Let's go."

Back at the balcony, Sora hastily crawled back to the room, closing the door quietly behind him before going over to Roxas, who was still fast asleep.

"Roxas, wake up."

"Mmph...five more minutes..."

"No, get up! Now!"

"...sleepy..."

Disgruntled at his futile attempts, Sora went to the end-table and pulled out a small water gun from the drawer. Aiming it at his friend's face, he pulled the trigger, squirting him with ice-cold water.

In a heartbeat, a startled and outraged Roxas sat up, wiping off the offending water from his face with his hands. "What did you do that for?! Now you got my shirt all wet!"

"Well, if I didn't do that, you wouldn't have woken up!" Sora retorted, giving his friend another short squirt of water in the face.

Roxas wiped his face again and quickly snatched the water gun from the giggling boy. "Gimme that!" In retaliation, he started to squirt Sora with the water gun as well, his anger turning into laughter at the sight of Sora failing at his attempt to block the water from hitting his face. This continued until the water finally ran out, giving Sora a reprieve.

"Ok ok. You got me. Now that I got your attention, I gotta tell you something." he said, wiping his face with a small dry towel he had found in the bottom drawer of the end table. Taking another one from the pile, he tossed it over to his friend.

"I hope it's important or I swear, I'm going to make you eat mud for waking me up like that." Roxas muttered, tossing the toy gun carelessly aside and taking the towel to dry his face.

Sora was quick to get right to the point. "The Turks are here and they're in the guest bedroom talking about my Dad. I don't know what they're talking about, but I'm not going to stay here and miss out on it."

"Let's go then! What are we waiting for?" Roxas said, jumping out of the bed and going to the closet to grab a set of dry clothes.

* * *

"So that's what happened." Aerith said dejectedly, her watery eyes lowering to the floor.

Tseng showed no expression on his face. "Yes. I wish we had figured his coordinates out sooner, but the army beat us to it. I'm truly sorry, Aerith."

"So you just came here to tell us how you Turks screwed up and couldn't find my Dad on time!" Leon exclaimed, his voice rising in anger. "And you just want us to accept it like everything will be alright?"

In response, the Turk simply fished for something in his inner coat pocket. "I know that nothing I say will comfort you, but if it will provide some solace, your father did write a letter. When Cissnei saw him at Gongaga a month ago, he gave her this and later, after we found his body, she told me to give it to you."

Aerith's tear-streaked face slowly rose at seeing him produce the letter from his coat. With a shaky hand, she gently took the envelope from his hand, taking out and unfolding the paper in it. Cloud and Leon stood behind her, leaning slightly forward to read their father's last words to them...

_Aerith,_

_If you're reading this, then the Shinra have won. I wish I could see you all again one last time, but it looks like the company didn't let me. This is going to sound really crazy, but the Turks are going to help you all get out of Midgar...far away from this whole mess. I'm not their only target, the whole family is too, especially you, Aerith. I know you, Cloud, Leon, Sora, and Roxas want to know so badly about why Shinra was after me and I wish I had the luxury to write all the answers here in this letter, but my time is limited and so is yours. Hojo has plans for us and unless you want to find out what those are, please get yourselves out of Midgar. I can't stress this enough.  
_

_And please...don't be saddened by this news. We'll see each other again, I promise.  
_

_-Zack  
_

"What does Hojo want with us?" Leon asked, looking up at Tseng. "From what I remember, Dad talked with the company to make sure that bastard wasn't going to come near us." Suddenly, his eyes widened in realization. "Unless..."

"That restriction order is no longer in effect as of this moment." the Turk explained, his keen eyes momentarily noticing two pairs of eyes peeping through the slightly ajar door nearby. Looking back at the trio, he continued. "With Zack dead, Shinra has repealed it several days ago after the President received a report from a Shinra captain. I will make sure Hojo doesn't get near this place and preparations have been made for your escort to Twilight Town. Bring only what you will need with you and leave everything else behind."

Cloud raised an eyebrow in suspicion. "How did you figure the plan out before we read this letter?"

"We did not read that letter. Your father relayed that exact plan to us upon handing Cissnei the letter."

"But why Twilight Town of all places?" Aerith asked. "That's a different world far away from here and won't Shinra be able to track our whereabouts?"

Tseng shook his head. "Not necessarily. The Shinra only rule the cities and towns of this planet. Any place beyond this world is not under their jurisdiction. Twilight Town is a good place because the company doesn't know of this world and will never know if it either."

"And why is that?" Leon asked, crossing his arms.

"There is a mirage portal that can easily be overlooked by anybody, unless you have a good eye to see through it. If you don't, you won't see Twilight Town's world at all. Those folks were smart to start building their towns and cities there."

"So I'm assuming that you'll know how to see through this mirage portal then?" Aerith inquired with a hopeful look on her face.

He merely gave them a small smile. "Would I be sitting here, telling you about this, if I didn't know?"

Aerith folded the letter and tucked it into the envelope before handing it to Cloud. "Take that to Sora and have Roxas return home before sunset so his mother doesn't worry again."

"Roxas's mother has already left Midgar for Twilight Town." Tseng said. "She left this morning. We sent her there for security measures."

Cloud took the letter anyway. "I'll bring the boys in here then." Before he can head for the door, it opened, revealing both Sora and Roxas. Upon seeing the two, Leon wrapped his arm around them playfully, giving each of them a noogie.

"So, you two have been snooping on our conversation this whole time, eh? You know what big brothers do to little brothers that go eavesdropping like that?"

"L-leon..." Sora grunted. "Lemme go, big brother!"

"We were just curious! We swear!" Roxas seconded as the two continued to struggle against the iron-like grip.

Aerith stifled a giggle at her sons' antics. "Alright, Leon. I think they've had enough."

"We should get back to the matter at hand." Tseng reminded them. "The sooner you all leave Midgar, the better."

Leon freed Sora and Roxas, his face becoming serious once more. "Yeah, we should get leaving when we can." He looked at Tseng. "Will an hour be enough for us to gather the things we'll be needing?"

The Turk nodded. "Yes, but no more than an hour. Make sure you only bring the things you need. The new house you'll be moving to in Twilight Town-"

"HOUSE?!" the family exclaimed in unison, their eyes now wide with surprise.

"Yes, a house." he repeated, glancing at his watch before standing up. "I will give you all the rest of the details about this later. Right now, you should all go and pack the stuff you will be bringing with you. Meet me at the backyard in an hour." With those words, he promptly left the room, leaving the door open.

There was a moment's silence before Leon began walking towards the door as well, stopping to turn and face his family.

"Well, you heard the Turk. We got one hour so let's get packing." With nods of agreement, everyone except Aerith exited the bedroom, leaving just her and Leon.

Aerith's eyes remained transfixed on Leon. For a moment, she swore she had seen Zack's image in him. _"Zack...I wish you were here to see how all of your sons have grown. You would be really proud of them..."_

Leon had been watching his mother with some concern as she continued to sit there, staring at his eyes in awe. "Mom, are you alright?"

"Huh?" she asked, quickly snapping out of her reverie.

With a serene smile, he walked over to her and went down on one knee, taking his mother's hands in his gloved ones. "You were thinking about Dad just now, weren't you?"

Immediately, the half-Cetra's face flushed a tinge of pink. "H-how did you know?"

Her son gave a small chuckle. "Mom, I know you're thinking about Dad when you sit and gaze at me like that."

"I'm sorry. I just miss your father so much...the way that you spoke to us earlier when you told everyone to go and pack their stuff...the way you said it and the way you gestured...it was just like how your father would act in a situation like this."

Leon gently let go of her hands and wrapped his arms lovingly around her. "Why are you being sorry? I understand. _We_ understand the pain you're going through. I mean, c'mon. He was the greatest dad I could ever have! I'm sure you would say, bragging to the world about how great of a husband he is to you."

At this moment, Aerith could not refrain from shedding her tears. "Yes, I miss him so so much. Your father was one who would always uphold to his promise, but I'm not so sure how he's going to fulfill his promise of seeing us again. I mean, if Shinra really..." The sentence couldn't be finished as more tears streaked her face. Leon simply gave his mother a small squeeze in reassurance.

"I'm not sure either, to be honest with you, but I'm sure we'll find out soon enough." Breaking from the embrace, Aerith took out the small handkerchief once more to wipe her face.

"You're right. He wouldn't make a promise he couldn't keep. That's how honorable your father was."

"Exactly." Leon said, giving his mother a silly grin. "Now, shall we go and get ourselves ready for the long journey?"

Aerith giggled. "I swear, you really do act like your father sometimes."

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**To be continued...  
**


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